One of the best things you can do for yourself is utilize some good webmaster tools. Certainly, there are a lot of crappy tools out there that don't do much good.
But if you're willing to do a little bit of work, you'll find there are many invaluable tools as well. You'll wonder how you got as far as you did without them.
This is not a definitive list of free webmaster tools. There are others out there, but many of them have limited functionality. You may not find them useful unless you have a very large site or are a very experienced webmaster.
But the free webmaster tools I've listed below are useful for just about everyone, regardless of knowledge and experience. I hope you find them as beneficial as I have.
Alexa - Download this toolbar to get an idea of the traffic coming to your website and others. It's not the most accurate tool there is, but it's the best one available for monitoring traffic.
Bit.ly - Use this free service to shorten long URL's. If you need to shorten a long blog URL for Twitter, then this is the best way to go.
Color Match Utility - Ever had trouble finding the best color scheme for your website? Well this free tool will analyze your primary color and offer up an entire pallette of matching hues.
Filezilla - A free and easy to use FTP (file transfer protocol) tool. Just download the program and you're all set. You can easily transfer files to and from your website in a matter of seconds.
Gimp - The best and most powerful graphics editor around. It may take some time to master, but once you do, you'll be creating outstanding graphic designs for your website.
Google Analytics - This analytics tools gives you information for free that most webmasters would pay hundreds for. Find out how many people visited your pages, what keywords brought them there, how long they stayed, and much more.
Search It! - A free service from SiteSell, the best home-business building program on the planet. Use Search It to conduct extensive keyword research. If Sitesell allows members to use this powerful tool for free, you can imagine what they do for their members.
Trellian Webpage Pro - This is great for those who want to build webpages quickly and simply. Trellian let's you build your page with an Office Word-like interface. However, Trellian will also give you the source code to go along with it eliminating the need to learn HTML.
Value Exchange - Another free webmaster tool from SiteSell. If you need a free, no hassle method of building links, then Value Exchange is the way to go. Exchange links with other webmasters in the same or similar niches.
Vodpod - Ever wanted to capture a video quickly and easily and put it on your website? Just add Vodpod to your toolbar and whenever you see a video you like, click, grab, and post. All in a matter of seconds.
Who Is - This freewebmaster tool provides you with information about any website on the net. You can find out the owner, where the site is registered, daily traffic stats, Alexa ranking, and much, much more.
Yahoo Site Explorer - Use this service from Yahoo to find out how many links you have coming to your website. It not only details the external links from other sites, but also the internal ones you built between your pages.
This is just a sample of the many free webpage tools out there. But I've found these to be the most important and valuable so far. As you go through them, you're certain to find more that you will also find crucial to your website's success.
